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Friday, August 17, 2007

Time Management

I have often looked at those hour by hour day planners and thought, "I have no need for such things." I don't have the kind of life that requires notation of activities by the hour. By the day does just fine, typically.

But today I could have used one. Here is a breakdown of our day:

6am up, coffee, quiet time

7:15 am take son to football, looking quite lovely. Think about how this would not be a good time to get pulled over by a cop. The way I look I could definitely not bat my eyes and get out of it. He would probably give me an extra ticket for driving while looking scary, or something.

7:30 am shower

8 am breakfast for kids, clean up for showing. Toss out orders like the drill sergeant I am.

9:45 leave for school open house

10 am open house (more about this later). Take call from panicked son on the football field who has been let out early and needs a ride. Call my mom who was supposed to pick him up and tell her she has to get him early. They are going to lunch and shopping for his bday. She is not happy with this new development but rises to the occasion.

11 am race home to pick up kids before people come for showing

11:15 am, early lunch at the Pizza Hut lunch buffet (Hey, what else are we going to do to kill an hour?) Showings, I am learning, can get expensive.

12 pm stop by library to pick up holds. Librarian asks, "Weren't you here yesterday?" Blush shamefully and affirm that indeed I am probably there more than she is.

12:15, home, pray that people liked the house, look at business card the realtor left and decide he looks like a nice guy. Pray again.

12:30 clean up dog pee, and put dog outside in the 100 temps much to the children's moans of how mean that is

1:00 clean up dog pee again (yes, for the second time-- she is old), but this time announce that someone else has to do it. Elect child who let her back in to do it. Announce to the dog that it is time to go towards the light.

1:10 Begin ironing large stack of accumulated ironing. Notice iron is quite obnoxiously beeping and flashing its lights when it is ready. Decide that there are enough obnoxious, demanding people in my life-- I don't need the appliances to start in.

1:30 ironing is done. Mom brings son home. She gives me a purse, which I will post pictures of later. It is just that cute. Son shows off new clothes he got for his bday. Baby goes down for nap after my mom leaves.

1:30-2:30 Tidy up and check emails. Fold two loads of clothes. Take call from neighbor who would like to take my 7yo daughter with her daughter to watch High School Musical II at her mom's house. Agree she will pick her up at 7:25 pm.

2:30 run (in 102 degree heat, but who's counting?)

3pm return and shower while daughter gets baby up and feeds her a snack

3:30 ask other kids where 11 yo son is. "Oh, he left while you were running." My mother in law is taking him for the night so he can earn some money by working in her yard. Try not to feel like inattentive mother who does not know her children's whereabouts. 12 yo daughter announces she also needs to leave, as she is going to a neighbor's house to swim and watch the premiere of High School Musical II. Hop in car to give her a ride. I can run in this heat, but princess must not be required to walk in it. Take a cell phone call while driving home from friend in TX who is homeschooling for the first time and has some curriculum questions.

3:45 put Stouffer's lasagna in the oven so it will be ready for husband and kids to eat for dinner. I love Stouffer's lasagna (not to eat, but it sure is easy to make)

4:00 log in bday boy for some computer time while he waits for my father in law to pick him up for the evening portion of his bday celebration. Bring in mail and sort through it. Consider for the 100th time joining the Writer's Digest book club based on a lucrative offer they have mailed me. (Suckerrrrr!) Dry hair and style it while baby stands beside me and begs for hairspray in her hair as well.

4:30 Grandfather arrives, bearing gifts for me! His wife got me two prints from a favorite artist of mine and promised to frame them but never did. He has the framed prints! Hooray! They will look great in my kitchen! Tell son goodbye and make sure we know how we are getting him back home. (If you are counting, we are now down to three kids.) Curt calls to say he is on his way home from Asheville, NC and will be home in time for me to meet my friend for dinner. (She offered to take me out to dinner if I would listen to her sort through some homeschool stuff and answer questions. It took me about two seconds to say yes!) We discuss whether he has time to run before he comes home. I vote no, he thinks yes. We shall see.

And now it is 5pm. In just a bit I will be leaving to meet my friend and my daughter will be leaving. My husband has miraculously found himself with just two of the kids. I am not sure what they will do! Am hoping they will go pick up our oldest so I don't have to be on a strict timetable. I would love to have a few hours to just unwind and talk to a friend without watching a clock. I have done enough of that today.

Edited to add, just twenty minutes later:Good news! Curt is picking up bday boy from the mall! The boy has now called me twice to beg me to pick him up instead of his dad, as his dad will have the little kids and they embarrass him. Sorry! The baby also turned on the sink in the bathroom (a favorite pasttime of hers) while the hair dryer was in it. Thankfully, it wasn't on. But still. Am hoping it still works.